PedPod by EX-PED-LAB16 Sep 2025

A conversation with Kassahun Weldemariam

Pedagogical Innovations Between Ethiopia and Sweden

In this episode, Kassahun Weldemariam—senior lecturer at the University of Gothenburg and originally from Ethiopia—shares his cross-continental journey through education, from teaching in Ethiopia to researching sustainability in Sweden. His path across the Global South and North has given him a unique vantage point on what it means to reimagine pedagogy in diverse contexts.

For Kassahun, pedagogical innovations are not simply about shiny new methods or technologies. Instead, he frames it as something much deeper:

“For me, pedagogical innovation refers to intentional, reflective and transformative change in teaching and learning that responds to evolving societal, cultural, ecological and epistemic realities within the field of education. It is not merely about adopting new methods or technologies, but about reimagining the purpose and the process of education itself.”

Drawing from both Sweden’s well-resourced, child rights–oriented early childhood system and Ethiopia’s resource-constrained but community-rich practices, Kassahun emphasizes that innovation must always be context-sensitive. In Sweden, innovation might mean embedding children’s rights and sustainability into everyday practice. In Ethiopia, it might emerge through community-based care or multilingual education, despite structural challenges.

Across both settings, Kassahun highlights the crucial role of professional agency, collaboration, and leadership. Innovation, he argues, flourishes when educators are trusted as reflective, creative, and ethical agents—able to take risks, reclaim forgotten wisdoms, and co-construct knowledge with children, families, and colleagues.

His reflections invite us to see pedagogical innovation not as a universal formula, but as a dynamic, context-driven practice—always responsive to the realities, challenges, and possibilities of the communities it serves.

Happy listening!

Denne episoden er hentet fra en åpen RSS-feed og er ikke publisert av Podme. Den kan derfor inneholde annonser.

Episoder(22)

A conversation with Margaret Kernan

One of the people that I've learned a lot from in regard to pedagogical innovation is the founder of ICDI, Nico van Oudenhoven.And when you first invited me to take part in this interview today, I tho...

15 Apr 202542min

A conversation with Mercedes Mayol La Salle

"True pedagogical innovation is not just about finding new teaching methods. It is about shifting power structures, challenging inequalities, rethinking the purpose of education itself." Welcome to an...

15 Mar 202545min

Perspectives from Southeast Asia: A conversation with Dr. Vina Adriany

Welcome to the 2nd season of PedPod by EX-PED-LAB podcast! This season, we will be exploring more perspectives through different formats. Apart from having guests from the continents of Asia, South Am...

18 Feb 202545min

PedPod dialogue with Anthony Okely

"For me, innovation doesn't always mean something new. It can mean rethinking or reshaping existing practices to make them better." In this PedPod by EX-PED-LAB episode, Anthony Okely emphasizes that ...

15 Jan 202533min

PedPod dialogue with Jayne White

Welcome to the 9th episode of PedPod by EX-PED-LAB. In this episode, I had a dialogue with Jayne White, a full Professor in the University of Canterbury New Zealand, when she visited Barnkunne some mo...

15 Des 202432min

PedPod dialogue with Marilyn Fleer

Welcome to the 8th episode of PedPod by EX-PED-LAB. In this episode, I had an online conversation with Marilyn Fleer, a Professor Emerita in early childhood education and development and leader of the...

15 Nov 202440min

PedPod dialogue with Mathias Urban

Welcome to the 7th episode of PedPod by EX-PED-LAB. In this episode, I had a conversation with Mathias Urban, the Desmond Chair of Early Childhood Education and Director of the Early Childhood Researc...

15 Okt 202445min

PedPod dialogue with Hege Fimreite

Welcome to the 6th episode of PedPod by EX-PED-LAB. In this episode, I spoke with Hege Fimreite, an Associate Professor at Western Norway University of Applied Sciences and the leader of the EX-PED-LA...

15 Sep 202445min